Blood Isn't Thicker
by GoneInTheMorning
Summary: What if Michael and Amanda had a second, adopted, daughter? What if a certain "Uncle" wasn't her "Uncle" at all? AU-ish. Full summary inside.
1. Prologue

**_Very_ short little prologue here. The following updates will be _much_ longer. This story, aside from this little thing here, starts at the Fame or Shame mission and will eventually grow into AU territory. **

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><p><strong>Full Summary: <strong>What if Michael and Amanda had a second, adopted, daughter? What if a certain "Uncle" wasn't her "Uncle" at all? Kaitlin De Santa knew that her family all had secrets, some that she was aware existed, but knew better than to bring them up. She thought that the biggest secret that she would have to hide was that Kaitlin Townley no longer existed, though when a man she had always called Uncle shows up one day, she starts to realize that she should have looked deeper into the whole adopted thing.

**Warning(s): **Strong Language, Violence.

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><p><strong>Blood Isn't Thicker <strong>

**Prologue **

She had been thinking a lot lately.

While she couldn't exactly remember what North Yankton looked like, aside from the snow, or the trailer that she had lived in with her family, she missed the name Townley. De Santa was nice, it had a sort of ring to it, a name that she could possibly sign her books with, but Townley was simpler.

She probably missed the concept of _simple_ more than she missed the name. There was always the secrets and lies that had gone over her head for a long time, though, back then, she could easily overlook them. She had been able to look over them due to her age and only worried about keeping her favourite toy away from her brother and sister. That was way before the fake deaths, Los Santos, more lies, and sitting in trailers in the middle of a desert.

In a way, she was back at the beginning, though a lot more aware of the lies and a _lot_ more confused.

If Kaitlin De Santa could pinpoint where things had started to fall apart, she would have to say that it started with _Fame or Shame_ and the sudden reappearance of Trevor Philips.


	2. Chapter 1

**Full Summary:** What if Michael and Amanda had a second, adopted, daughter? What if a certain "Uncle" wasn't her "Uncle" at all? Kaitlin De Santa knew that her family all had secrets, some that she was aware existed, but knew better than to bring them up. She thought that the biggest secret that she would have to hide was that Kaitlin Townley no longer existed, though when a man she had always called Uncle shows up one day, she starts to realize that she should have looked deeper into the whole adopted thing.

**Warning(s):** Strong Language, Violence.

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><p><strong>Blood Isn't Thicker<strong>

**Chapter 1**

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><p>Kaitlin had always somewhat knew that she was adopted.<p>

It was something that she had gotten confirmed, though, for some reason, it never really bothered her all that much. She would have liked to have been fully related to the people she viewed as her parents and siblings, but she was still part of the family. At least, it had felt like that, before the distance that the large home had brought upon them, whether it was through a bottle of whiskey, a closed door, or a video game console, Kaitlin noticed that she was alone more often than she had been expecting.

Maybe that was why she had...

The eighteen-year-old shook her head, placing her hand in her black hair as she leaned back in the uncomfortable plastic chair, fingers gently grazing over the scar on her forehead. Whatever tangent her brain was about to go off on, it was much too heavy for sitting in the Maze Bank Arena.

_Fame or Shame._

Tracey had dragged her out of the house rather early in the day, Kaitlin feeling that she wanted her there for moral support. That, or someone to gush to once she got through. If she was being completely honest with herself, Kaitlin had always felt a somewhat sinking feeling for Tracey. She had seen her dance routine, more often than she would have liked, and it was really nothing short of something a stripper would preform on stage. Tracey certainly had the get up.

Kaitlin wasn't sure how long she had been sitting in the waiting area with a number of people, watching people enter and leave the arena, Tracey still having yet to wonder out of the doors. All she was aware of was the fact that she was _starving_ and her legs were numb.

_Should have brought my notebook..._she thought to herself as she tipped her head back, looking up at the high ceiling, arms crossed tightly across her chest. She attempted to listen to some conversations near by, but her interest dropped faster than she cared to admit. People were interesting, sometimes, but she found that she wanted nothing more was to get back home and sleep. If there wasn't such little interaction between Tracey and herself, Kaitlin would have opted to stay at home.

Her eyes slipped closed, listening to the whispers and voices around her as white noise. Tapping her fingers against her side as she faintly heard one of the coordinators greet someone who had walked into the area.

"Where the _fuck_ is Tracey Townley? Huh?"

Upon hearing her sister's old surname, Kaitlin's eyes popped open and leaned forward in her seat, glancing back towards the doors. There she could see the coordinator being held by his throat by a man who easily struck her as terrifying, though as he continued to question the man he was holding, Kaitlin recognized him. She quickly pulled herself up to her feet, jogging after her father as he followed Trevor Philips, someone that Kaitlin thought she wouldn't be seeing again.

"Dad!" she called out once she got close enough, Michael De Santa glancing behind him, "What's going on? Is that-"

"Yeah, we'll have to talk once we get done here," he stated, "come on."

Kaitlin followed her father as they walked towards where the auditions were being recorded, Trevor leading the charge with angry strides. Her father followed closely, probably to keep him from doing something reckless, as he seemed pretty keyed up for some reason.

"What are you doing?" Kaitlin hissed, grabbing at her father's arm, "Tracey really wants this, you just can't-"

She was cut off once the voice of the host hit her ears as they walked into the room, where the judges and cameras were set up. Tracey was standing off to the side while the act before her was just finishing up, an anxious expression crossing her face at the sight of her father and sister.

"Alright," Lazlow said to the camera, "it's the auditions, Fame or Shame, season fourteen, right here in Vinewood, San Andreas. Coming up, it's Tracey De Santa!"

He grabbed Tracey, pulling her out in front of the camera as she laughed nervously, greeting the camera as Lazlow continued.

"Tracey's a "dancer", but she also likes acting, modelling, and working with children. That's...that's beautiful. You're so original, like a basket full of puppies, or a rainbow, or...a pile of puke," he paused, looking over at the three standing off to the side, "Who are these clowns?"

"That's my sister, Dad, and..." Tracey paused, a surprised look crossing her face, "_Trevor!?_"

She quickly ran over to embrace Trevor in a one-armed hug, shooting Kaitlin a questioning look, who just shrugged helplessly.

"Alright, I'm back," Tracey said quickly as she returned back in front of the camera. Lazlow told them to relax, his condescending tone starting to rub Kaitlin the wrong way, though she was probably the last person he needed to worry about offending. She rubbed her eyes once she heard the music start, Tracey raising her arms to start her routine. She didn't need to watch it to know that their father and Trevor, of all people, were _not_ supposed to see that. Barely a few moments into the routine, and Michael had already looked away in disgust once Tracey removed her underwear.

Though, things went from bad to worse once Lazlow started to preform an erotic dance with her, Kaitlin crossing her arms and looking down at her feet once her father went after Lazlow, Trevor picking up a chair. Michael threw Lazlow to the floor, who started to yell for security, who arrived quickly as Lazlow took off out of the room, Tracey starting to yell as she was crouched on the floor, throwing a tantrum, from the looks of it.

Kaitlin flinched when she heard the chair that Trevor was armed with collide with the side of the head of the security guard, who was keeping Michael from going after Lazlow. Trevor took off like a shot, already after the host as Michael paused and glanced back at Kaitlin.

"Take Tracey home! Now!"

She just nodded her head, watching as her father took off after Trevor. Kaitlin felt like her mind was spinning, nothing really clicking together properly for a few moments until Tracey's screams finally got through. Shooting the judges a sympathetic smile, Kaitlin helped her hysterical sister to her feet, grabbing her underwear off the floor as she started to lead her out towards the front of the area.

"I can't believe this!" Tracey exclaimed once they were outside, shaking off Kaitlin's hand as she sat down on the steps, head in her hands, letting out another muffled yell.

"I..." Kaitlin started, feeling slightly at a loss as to what to say. She just trailed off as Tracey collected herself, looking up at her with her eyes narrowed.

"Why didn't you _stop them?_" she demanded, Kaitlin narrowing her eyes in return.

"What? It's my fault that Dad and fucking Trevor crashed your audition?" she asked, watching as her sister stood, moving past her as she grabbed her underwear from her.

"He's ruined everything!" she exclaimed, marching towards the car, fists clenched. Kaitlin followed behind her, wondering momentarily what the fate of that host would be. She knew her father could be a force to be dealt with, but from the looks of Trevor, he would probably be a problem as well.

The drive back home was awkward on Kaitlin's end, the teen just nodding her head to the things her sister ranted about.

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><p>It was getting late in the night when Michael returned back home, looking worn down and exhausted. He wondered into the living room, seeing Kaitlin curled up at the far end of the couch, looking like she was about to drop off into sleep. Her tired eyes moved away from the television as Michael sat down on the couch, changing the channel to one of his old Vinewood movies.<p>

"You should just go to bed," he commented as Kaitlin shifted so she could raise her arms over her head, stretching out her back.

"Jimmy's still up and playing his game," she remarked, "being kinda loud about it too. I figured I'd just sit down here until he's done."

Michael took back his drink, Kaitlin watching the black and white movie for a few moments before she glanced back at him.

"So, Uncle's back, huh?" she asked, watching as her father let out a sigh, taking a drink in response.

"What were you doing there, anyway?" he asked after a few moments, Kaitlin giving him a questioning look, "You were supposed to be seeing your therapist."

"Ah, shit, right," Kaitlin muttered, leaning back slightly, "I don't need it-"

"Don't need it?" Michael echoed, "Right, because having your stomach pumped for pain medication is a sign of a healthy mental state."

"It was a mistake, alright?" Kaitlin snapped, "I don't need some therapist to complain to about shit."

"I'm still paying for it," Michael stated, "so, you're still goin'. I haven't seen a change in you that says you won't be doing the same thing again."

"Well, you've been seeing that Friedlander for a year now and haven't seen much of a change in you, either," Kaitlin shook her head, "still drink and fight as much as you used to."

"We ain't talking about me," Michael replied, "we're talking about you. You're going."

"Fine," Kaitlin said, too tired to bother with an argument with him. She stood and walked out of the living room, pinching the bridge of her nose with a sigh. It felt like she was on edge, even in her sleepy state, and she felt like hitting something.

_Fuck, maybe I do need to go. _


	3. Chapter 2

**I'm sorry for the wait on this chapter, plus it's somewhat short length as well. Next chapter should, hopefully, have some more content to it. Thanks for all the reviews and such so far, I hope you are all still enjoying this. **

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><p><strong>Full Summary: <strong>What if Michael and Amanda had a second, adopted, daughter? What if a certain "Uncle" wasn't her "Uncle" at all? Kaitlin De Santa knew that her family had secrets, some that she was aware existed, but knew better than to bring them up. She thought that the biggest secret that she would have to hide was the fact that Kaitlin Townley no longer existed, though when a man she had always called uncle shows up one day, she starts to realize that she should have looked deeper into the whole adopted thing.

**Warnings: **Strong language, violence, mentions of suicide (failed).

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><p><strong>Blood Isn't Thicker<strong>

**Chapter Two**

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><p>"Is there a reason you have been missing your appointments?"<p>

Kaitlin let out a light sigh through her nose, sitting in a leather chair in a brightly lit room, which seemed smaller, considering that there were no windows. Given the location, she would have guessed that there would be some, but she figured it must have been a psychological thing. Suffocate your patients with blank walls painted in dull colours, the insistent ticking of the clock and hum of the computer. Give them nothing else to focus on, they will be forced to focus inwardly. It was certainly taking its toll on her, at least.

"I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"I don't see the point," Kaitlin said after a few moments, her tone of voice forceful, "I mean, it was a mistake. Nobody in my family has mentioned it since it happened, I don't see the point of going to therapy for it."

"Well, it's to prevent it from happening again," the woman across from her said, looking at her with practised concern. Kaitlin was sure that many of her patients were given the same look, anyway. "You took half a bottle, I imagine that it would be difficult to take that many pills by mistake. Did you want to talk about the events leading up to it?"

Kaitlin shrugged her shoulders, "I don't remember much about what caused it, I just got the idea in my mind one day. I guess I managed to find the confidence to go through with something for once, even if my intended goal wasn't accomplished."

"It sounds like you have low self-esteem."

"Yeah, and so does every pair of fake tits in this city," Kaitlin explained, "It's Los Santos, low self-esteem is the norm. Well, that is, if you don't have an excessively elevated sense of self-worth."

Kaitlin watched as the woman shifted in her own seat slightly, writing away on a notebook that was open on her dress pant clad legs, a pair of generic-looking glasses resting on the tip of her nose. The woman's brown eyes glanced up at her, meeting her gaze. "Is that why you tried to kill yourself? You couldn't find that sense of self-worth?"

"No, that's not why."

"What was it, then?"

"I don't know."

Her mind flashed back to a moment where she was on the bathroom floor, a volatile mixture of chemicals finally making their way into her brain, the feeling of nausea had just faded and, for a few moments, she had enough clarity in her mind to realize that she was _scared_. She was _fucking terrified_. At that time, she had been so sure that nobody would find her until it was too late, but during that sole moment, there had been a few seconds where she wanted someone to walk in. It was at that moment that she realized she had made a mistake.

"I mean..." Kaitlin started, her mind falling back into the stuffy office room, there was a slight tremor to her voice, a tightness in her throat, "H-Here I am, a _poor, poor_ rich white girl living in Rockford Hills, Los Santos, with a suicide attempt under her belt. It's a damn cliche. I really wish I could say that I had a good reason, that killing myself would have _meant_ something, but the reality is that it wouldn't have. What caused it? I have no idea. I had broken my arm a few months prior, the pain medication was just _there_."

"Do you feel depressed most of the time, Kaitlin?" her therapist asked, tilting her head as she looked at the teen, who was chewing on the inside of her bottom lip, extra moisture to her eyes.

"I...Yeah. Yeah, I guess so," she muttered, "There is just this...distance. The only time it seems like the family is close is when we are yelling at each other."

"Being adopted, does that seem to add to this distance between your family?"

Kaitlin paused, scratching her cheek slightly, "It never used to, really. I used to just accept that I was placed in a care of someone else and continued to view myself as part of the family, but, recently, I have been wanting to...find answers. Nobody will tell me anything, and I honestly never force it enough to."

She paused, a frown crossing her face.

"Maybe...Maybe I really need to."

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><p>Kaitlin's fingers were typing away on the keyboard of her laptop that was resting on a small desk in her room, which was growing more and more dark with the setting sun. She paused, glancing over at her phone that rested on the table. Ever since adding the new contact, she felt like her phone would harm her if she picked it up. She knew she should just type up a quick text message or email explaining that she acknowledged that he is back in town, and probably open up an invitation to hang out, but that was the issue.<p>

Did she really want to spend time with the man she had seen back in the arena? There would always be a part of her that would want to, she had always been as excited to see Trevor when she was younger, as did Tracey and Jimmy, but she could admit that he was closer with the two of them. She had always stuck with Michael more, she still does to some extent. Kaitlin loved Amanda, she was her mother after all, but she had a sort of favouritism towards her father. That was partly what made it harder to look into her biological parents, as much as the recent years had made her depressed, she was part of _this_ family.

_That includes Trevor, too, doesn't it? _

"Yo."

Kaitlin jumped, turning to look towards her open door, where Jimmy stood. She frowned, turning in her chair more to face him.

"I'm going to hang out with Uncle T," Jimmy explained, "Tracey's being a bitch and not talking to me, so I wanted to ask if you wanted to come."

"What are you planning on doing?"

"I don't know," Jimmy said, "I'm going to try and convince him to take me drinking."

"_Yeah_, I can't drink. Matter of fact, neither can you..."

"Look, do you wanna come or not?"

Kaitlin paused, pursing her lips slightly as she looked back at the paragraph on her computer that was sitting in an open document, one she was sure she would delete and rewrite later. It was rare that Jimmy actually wanted to do something with her, though she was pretty sure he was more excited about Trevor, but still. Plus, it could save her the awkward typing up of a text to Trevor as well.

"Yeah, okay," she said, somehow managing to sound both hesitant and somewhat enthusiastic at the same time, "just...don't piss him off about being too insistent about the drinking thing. I seriously doubt he will agree."

"I'm not making any promises," Jimmy said, backing away from her bedroom door as Kaitlin walked out, "You know, if we both ganged up on him about the drinking thing..."

"I don't have as strong of an urge to get drunk or high as you do," Kaitlin commented, "I'll probably be on medication pretty soon, anyway."

She paused, realizing what she had just said, though, as per usual, there wasn't any commentary on that as Jimmy walked down towards the front door. Kaitlin usually wouldn't care, she had actually felt relieved that nobody brought it up all that much, but, for some reason, it left her with an irritated feeling in her gut.


End file.
